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Amsterdam bikes

My friend Esther lives in Amsterdam, and she rides her kids around in a bakfiets, or cargo tricycle (what cute bare feet!)...And when her daughter's class took a field trip to the park, the teachers rode the kids in giant bakfietsen. How cool is that? I'd love to try one with our boys this summer.

How funny you should post this now! I got one of these on Friday! We spent a couple years living in Belgium where all the mamas cruised around like this with their kids, dogs, groceries etc... So now that we're back in Santa Monica, CA I got one to hold on to that amazing lifestyle. It'll be perfect to cruise to the farmers market, and down to the beach. I love it! Take a peek:http://instagram.com/p/lP-4WmMgQV/

When I visited Amsterdam when my oldest (now 6) was a baby I fell in love with those bikes!! So much so that I looked into buying one when I returned stateside. A little out of my price range, but I'd still love one! And now I have three little men to pile into the cargo hold! I am beginning to see them around where we live in urban Denver and I always think: hey! You stole my idea!

I am in love with those bikes - they are all over London too! I think if we didn't live in North London (very hilly) I would get one to cart around the two kiddos and the dog! Maybe when we move back to the states...if only Seattle wasn't hilly too. :(

Oh, that is darling! I just love anything simple. My friends were in Amesterdam this week. I really want to go! We're having a baby soon and I wonder if I'll ever bike with him...maybe on along the boardwalk of Santa Monica down the street.

They are perfect for Amsterdam because it is flat and bike friendly, but I have seen a near miss between one and a 4x4 here in England. Although the little girl was unhurt, she was very shaken, being so low and exposed - I'm not sure I would take the risk on roads where drivers can be so aggressive against cyclists.

My extended family is Dutch and they always thought North Americans were just lazy and that's why they drove more than biked. Then they visited us in the Pacific Northwest and saw all the hills...they understand now :) That said, my husband does bike 30km roundtrip to work every day, rain or shine! I'd like to take the kids out more but I would need killer legs to handle the hills here with two+ kids!

We just went in a road trip (from Edmonton, Canada!) to Portland OR to buy one of these. I don't usually do this but the folks at www.splendidcycles.com were awesome! They even opened up in the middle of a snowstorm that had essentially shut down the city.

Those are so awesome! When we lived in Holland, I saw so many of those but couldn't imagine riding one. I was so surprised at how easy it was, how well they balance and handle. We bought one just before our second girl was born, and it was fabulous! We used it for all our grocery shopping with our big girl on the built-in bench (the front bench pops in and out). We could even tie-down the baby carrier in the front of the box so our wee babe was fully secure in there. I cried the day we sold it in Australia (too hilly for such a heavy bike and our girls were so big). I hope you get to try it with your gorgeous boys!

Bakefiets aren't uncommon here in Berkeley, CA. I probably see about 3 or 4 of them a day when I'm out and about. Biking is a pretty popular way to get around here - even though we have those Bay Area hills to contend with!When my husband and I first moved here with our two young kids we looked into buying a bakefiets or Christiania Bike (the much bigger Danish equivalent) as our family "car" but they were just a little too pricey. Instead we went for a Yuba Mundo longtail cargo bike. I can easily fit both kids on the back (with or without babyseats) plus grocery shopping, and every now and then I squeeze on the back with the kids and make my husband pedal us all around! Although with my big pregnant belly right now I don't fit anymore ;)Longtail cargo bikes are really popular here and I see many kids being dropped off at school on them. Many people also install electric assist on their cargo bikes to make it easier to get up and down those hills but so far we've just stuck with good old fashioned leg power - and lots of huffing and puffing!You can see our bike here: http://yubabikes.com/

I've been obsessed with these kind of bikes since I first saw something on your blog a few years ago about the Madsen. I rented a Bakfeitsen in Portland last summer, but Madsen was having a killer Black Friday deal that I couldn't pass up. I live in the Philippines right now but I'm moving back to the states this summer. The bike is sitting in my parents' garage and I can't wait to get back and try it out with my two little boys!

I live in Holland and have a Bakfiets. The three wheelers do tip and we had our first major one recently. It was scary but my kids are fine. The bikes are super sturdy and the seat belts are strong. You wouldn't expect it but I've heard the two wheelers are less tip prone.

We have one (a bakfiets) and we love it! It's perfect year around here in sunny California. But unfortunately my city isn't bike friendly enough that I feel safe taking my boys all over town. We can ride to a few places though on safe paths and its always a better adventure ( and workout!) when we ride instead of drive.

I took a solo trip to Amsterdam last year (and scoured the comments sections of your Amsterdam posts for tips, haha)—and what Amsterdammers manage to balance while riding their bikes never ceases to amaze me. On a break in Vondelpark I watched an older gent in dapper dusky rose cords and a well-worn blazer and fedora balance concentric bandboxes towering from his rear rack *and* a cushioned guitar case on one side, pedaling all the while! Have you read Pete Jordan's book "In the City of Bikes"?

Oh those bakfietsen, personally I think they are a nuisance, especially on the narrow streets of Amsterdam, or even worse, on the sidewalks. But they are handy when you are transporting more than two childeren! Their populairity is on the decline nowadays, they are cinsidered, in lack of a better word, Momsy...

Oh my goodness! I saw TONS of these over the weekend - went to Amsterdam for the first time. The bike situation there is so cool! More pictures from my trip are on my blog here: http://bit.ly/1kmesfn if you'd like to check them out. We found Cafe t'Smalle, but sadly didn't have time to hang out there - next time though!

I love the biking culture here in Amsterdam. My daughter loves going in the bakfiets with her little friend whose Mama has one and she adores being on the back of my bike. I think the super safe bike infrastructure (and lack of hills or much snow in winter) is what makes it so lovely to bike here. Completely separate bike paths on most streets and drivers who are aware of cyclists make all the difference. I wish North America would figure out that helmets aren't what make biking safe as I know I'll miss all these lovely bike paths when we move back to Canada one day.